From the Heart
by Solemn.Desert.Storm
Summary: They have been going to school together for years, and always have had the same art class. Gaara has been silently crushing on her for years, what happens when she finally says hello? AU School story.


Chapter One

 ** _I havent written a fanfiction in a long time, so I forgot all the login stuff for my other account. I thought this would be a great way to show how much I have improved since I posted my first fanfiction. Looking back Im actually impressed with my writing, even if its very goody and childish. I was 13. Now Im 19 and I would love to say my writing has changed. I guess you guys will be the judge of that. If youre curious about my other account, you can go check it out. aishachase97 was my username, and I posted quite a few stories there, including poetry. Im upset that over the past few years I lost the documents for those fanfictions, and probably wont be able to continue them. :( But I'll do my best.to continue this one. Im.excited to write again, and I hope that itll help the writers block I always seem to have. Ill stop rambling now. *Disclaimer* I do not own Naruto, the manga or the anime. I only own my characters. Hope you enjoy -_**

She ducked hee head as she passed through the hallway. The lights were bright, a deep contrast to the gray rainy day outside. Her clothes were soaked through, clinging frantically to her small figure. her sneakers squeaked against the tile floors, echoing in the school hall. She paused in front of a line of lockers, she had been following the numbers to get to her own. She glanced down at the folded paper she had in her small pale hand, she had gotten if from the nice lady in the office. She entered the code and opened her locker. She placed the books away that she wouldnt need for her first class. Her faded blue back pack resting against her legs as she tried to move quickly. Classes had already begun, and though the lady in the office said she was covered, that didnt mean that she wanted to be later than she already was.

Leaving with the books she needed for math and science, she headed further down the hall, looking for the proper classroom.

She ststopped, just outside the closed door to her math class. She had memorized the classes she needed and the door numbers for each class, but suddenly she felt nervous. A new school, for a girl age, was pretty intimidating. Sucking in a deep breath and a good bout of mental encouragement, she slowly opened the door.

She peered in, nervously, her light colored eyes taking in the rows of desks and silent students. They all had their eyes on her. Gulping down her fear she looked to the teacher.

Her eyes widened, and though her mother had taught her manners, she stared. Her homeroom teacher had a long scar that went across his nose. She hadn't expected that, though deep in her mind she found it extremely interesting. He smiled at her, despite her rude behavior.

"Ah hello, you must be the new student! Come, introduce yourself to the class," Drawn to the gentleness of his voice, she stepped into the classroom, gripping her bag tightly. The students stared, quietly, politely, waiting for her to speak. Taking a couple shallow, soothing breaths, she opened her mouth.

"Im Dakota O'Ryan, pleased to meet you all!" A nervous smile broke out across her face as she couldnt bring herself to say anymore. Which was good, because the teacher clasped a supporting hand onto her shoulder.

"Welcome, Dakota, I'll be your homeroom teacher, Iruka. Please take a seat beside Ino... Ino raise your hand so she can find hee seat," His words were calm, and the nerves slowly faded as she spotted a girl with platinum blond hair raise her hand. The smiled at each other as Dakota made her way down the row of desks to take her seat.

Once she was seated, the blond reached a hand out, an offer of friendship. Dakota felt her chest swell, the fear of a new school leaving her completely. She slid her hand into Ino's and smiles brightly. For the rest of the class she listened to the chatter of students and answered Ino's questions, enjoying her homeroom class.

Dakota's next class was math, which Ino also shared with her, so it wasn't hard to find. The blond girl had lead her there, no problem, and even introduced her to a friend of hers, Shikamaru.

"He's a real smarty," Ino said, leaning against his desk. The boy, whose dark hair stood almost like a pineapple on his head, looked at them lazily. Dakota found it hard to believe that this boy was as smart as Ino was implying. She just smiled and took the vacant seat beside him. Perhaps if he was smart, he could help her with her math.

As the class continued, and the boy beside her napped, she slowly felt like she was going to lose the battle with this class. She had never been good with long division, or algebra, so without any help, she was a goner. Ino didnt look bothered by it though, and took notes. Dakota sighed, and tried her hardest to understand what she was filling her notebook with.

The next few classes bored her, though she was only excited for one class anyways. But that was the class after lunch. Before lunch, however, was gym.

"KEEP IT UP! YOU ALL HAVE THE POWER OF YOUTH! HAHAHA!" Dakota felt the sweat all over her body as her legs pounded against the track. She wasnt nearly as fast as Lee, an energetic boy who took off down the track, faster than she had ever seen. But then, she wasnt slow either. She jogged, leisurely around the track, right beside a pink haired girl, who had introduced herself as Sakura. The jogged forward silently, though it was pleasant. Dakota had been so delighted that everyone she had met so far had been incredibly nice. The teachers were, enthusiastic, though never mean. It meant a lot to her, that she had found such a nice school to attend.

Dakota collapsed after the 10th lap around, no longer able to breathe. A couple other students had stopped before her, while others fell to their knees, having gone as long as her. Sakura was bent over, gasping for air, though she didnt seem nearly as tired as Dakota. Lee was still bursting with life, bounding around until he finally noticed the new girl.

Dakota fell back with a gasp as the boy, clad in green, squatted in front of her.

"MY NAME IS LEE, AND I HAVE NEVEE WITNESSED A BEAUTY LIKE YOURS BEFORE, IT MUST BE THE POWER OF YOUTH INSIDE YOU," Though he wasn't yelling, Dakota felt as though the words were powerful enough to carry, like he had screamed them in her face.

"What is your name?" He asked, much calmer than the rest of his speech. Dakota smiled, finding his excitement quite entertaining.

"Dakota, nice to meet you Lee," And with that the boy swooned, his eyes glossing over with love like she had just confessed her heart to him. Sakura shook her head and helped Dakota up, leading her away as Lee's voice continued to weave through their ears.

"Dont you pay him any mind, he's a bit crazy," Dakota only laughed. Crazy made for the best times.

Sakura lead Dakota to the cafeteria after class. It was loud, louder even that Guy and Lee. Dakota felt very small, surrounded by so many other students and teachers. It wasnt very different from her other school so she tried to focus on that as the pinkette led her to a large round table towards the corner of the cafeteria.

Ino perked up at the sight of them, waving them over. Dakota grinned, taking a seat between Ino and Shikamaru, who was currently napping, his head resting on the cool surface. Dakota pulled a lunch box from her bag and opened it to see what she had for lunch. Her mom had packed it, giving her extra sweets as a treat. Dakota tuned out the playful argument between Ino and Sakura as she nibbled on a chicken salad sandwich.

She chewed, watching as another person joined their group. He was chubby, munching on a bag of chips. She found him quite adorable, and since they were both eating, they couldnt talk.

"Dakota, this is Choji, Choji, this is Dakota," Her pale eyes glanced up at the blond, slightly annoyed that her meal would be interrupted, however she smiled politely in greeting to Choji. It was at that moment that Shikamaru woke up, and slowly picked up a conversation with him.

Dakota looked around as she ate her sandwich, spotting a group of guys just a table over. Sakura seemed to follow her gaze over there and shook her head.

"Those boys are nothing but trouble," she said, though her eyes lingered a bit longer on a dark haired boy. Dakota shrugged, swallowing the last of her sandwich. She pulled out a cookie and munched on it, delighted to find it was her favorite.

"Hey Dakota, how old are you?" Ino asked, her eyes glaring slightly at Sakura.

"I just turned 13," Dakota grabbed the bottle of water off of Ino's tray and sipped it washing down her meal.

"Awww! You're older than us," Ino seemed to pout, making her seem much younger than she was. Dakota just smiled at her and nibbled on another cookie.

The rest of the lunch period went just as smoothly. They all talked amongst themselves and, when no one seemed to be looking, Ino and Sakura took glances towards the dark haired boy. Dakota figured those two were playful rivals, trying at a chance to win his heart. Dakota didnt see the appeal, which was a good thing, she didnt want Ino or Sakura jumping at her throat.

Dakota had to find her way to her last class on her own. She was the last one there, though she didnt mind, the bell hadnt rung yet, so she had made it on time. The rooms desks were set up in pairs, the backs of the desks pressed up against each other, leaving the students to face each other. She moved into the class room, searching for an empty seat. She found one, the only one, across from a red head. He glanced up at her as she approached, and found that his eyes, the color mix between green and blue, were striking. She had never seen cerulean colored eyes before.

They gazed up at her, widening slightly with each step she took. Dakota smiled at him, deciding that he was shy, or at least not as out going as many of her new friends were. Her smile seemed to catch him off guard. He looked away as the teacher began assigning them a project.

Art class had always been her favorite. Dakota herself felt that she wasnt good at much, but she was decent when it came to paints and sketches. Her mind could create anything and her hands could place it on paper, though she still had much to learn. For being in the 7th grade, she was good.

The assignment was to sketch their emotions. To let them flow through their minds to their hands. The teacher weaved slowly around the room, her dark hair and red eyes, making Dakota rather nervous. So thats what she drew.

The pencil seemed light in her hand, dusting itself across the paper. It was abstract, almost like a null confusion. Black, gray and white wound over the paper. Before she finished, she glanced up at the red head across from her, curious about his own sketch.

He had drawn, what seemed like a box, though broken in a corner. It wasnt until her eyes roamed over the paper more, that she saw it as a prison cell. The inside was shaded, so dark it seemed like shadows, and between to slots between the bars were crude hastily drawn red eyes. A feeling of forbodeing filled her as she looked down at her own sketch. Compared to his, it was calm.

Dakota wanted to ask about his sketch, to talk to him, but decided it wouldnt be a good idea. If that was how he was feeling currently, then perhaps she should leave him to his silence.

She continued with her sketch, glancing up at the red head as she did. She almost didnt notice the change in her black and gray art piece. It became less confusion and turned more... chaotic. Dakota bit her lip, deciding the dark quirks on her sketch seemed to work with her mood now. The deep black of a tree managed to pronounce itself. Perhaps lonely could describe it. She reached for a colored pencil, deciding that it needed a bit more. When the bell rang for the end of the school day, Dakota passed in her sketch. The teacher, Kurenai, smiled at her. Dakota found it strange that most her teacher wanted to be called by their first name, almost refreshing even. Almost like she could get to know them. And perhaps she would.

"This is lovely, can you tell me what emotion you were trying to express?" Kurenai placed the sketch on her desk, the other students filing out of the classroom, eager to go home. Dakota paid them no mind and curled a dark strand of hair between her fingers.

"I think I was trying to express the feelings you get when youre on your first day of school," Kurenai nodded, her lips curling almost gently.

"Well done," Dakota practically beamed as she went to gather her things. Art was her passion, and to be openly praised for a sketch made her feel all warm and fuzzy. She tied her hair up into a pony tail as she stepped down the hall, trying to remember her way to the front of the building.

Dakota blinked as she stepped out into the damp gray world. She maneuvered around puddles, hoping to keep herself as dry as possible. Her first class had been miserable until her clothes had finally dried. She didnt wish to deal with that again.

The school was built near the center of town so many students could walk too and from the building without much problem. Dakota lived three blocks away in an apartment building that her mom was renting out. Along the way was a childrens park and a corner store, perhaps a few office spaces. Dakota found this town quite small compared to the city she had moved from. At night the town was quiet and subdued, where the city had come to life in the dark hours. She missed the neon signs that kept her awake at night.

The stars had replaced them. After her mother went to bed Dakota would stray to hee window, staring up at the sky, watching the stars. Her older sister sometimes sat with her. Even the town would be enjoyable.

Her sister was older by two years, meaning she was already in high school. Her name was Poppy, like the flower. Kind, sweet and smart, always doing the things Dakota couldnt quite do. She was always a head of the game, working hard to get into a good college. It was the reason they moved. Poppy wanted to be a doctor. Dakota was proud of her sister, and didnt mind moving so that she had a better chance at the career she wanted.

Dakota only wished her mother would understand that they were two different children.

Dakota climbed the steps of the apartment building, deciding what she didnt want to risk the elevator in case the power went out. Once on the 4th floor she made it to their comfy little two bedroom apartment. The door was unlocked.

Dakota peered inside before stepping in, letting her bag fall to the floor.

"Im home," She called out, loud enough for whoever was home to hear. Poppy popped her head into the hallway from the kitchen, her dark colored hair a mess on top of her head.

"Welcome home sis! How was your first day?" Dakota smiled and moved into the kitchen. Poppy had her study books all over the table, littered with important papers.

"It went really well, the other students are really nice, and my teachers are even nicer," Dakota sat at the counter as Poppy moved over to her book. She nodded her head, listening intently to her younger sister as she spoke.

"This town has a lot of friendly faces, my first day went just as good as yours," Poppy only had classes til noon, and had afternoons off. She the smart one after all. It was only a little after 1:30 anyways. Which meant their mother was still at work. Dakota hummed to herself, smiling as her sister studied and did her homework. She supposed she should do hers while it was still day light out.

Dakota grabbed her bag and sat in the kitchen, listening to her sister mutter over math problems, the english questions. She blocked her out, enjoying the time alone with her sibling. Dakota would work hard as well, to achieve her dream of being an artist, even if it meant doing algebra. She would make her mother understand, and her sister proud.

The hours dragged on like that, the two of them talking as they studied and finished their homework. They would have finished earlier had they not spent a good portion of their time talking. But they were finished by the time their mom came home with chinese take out. The three of them gathered around the counter, Poppy's mess of books still laying claim to the table. Their mother didnt mind it, knowing that both her children were working hard. Dakota left after eating, heading down the road to the park. The sky was still dark and gloomy as she sat on a swing. It took her a little while, but she noticed a red head a couple swings over, staring down at the ground. Dakota opened her mouth, wanting to introduce herself to the quiet boy, but for decided that the silence was better. She would talk to him someday, but not today.


End file.
